Day Before Spring Break
by Lerysakon
Summary: One-Shot  It's the day before Spring Break and Annabeth Chase is having quite a bad day in school. With annoying girls, irritating teachers, and an egotistic playboy, would her day get any worse? Or, maybe something might just make it better.


**A/N: Okay, so I wrote this weeks ago, sort of forgot about it, found it again, revised it a bit, and decided to post it. It's something I thought of after reading several one-shots that involved Percy or Annabeth being in school. Yeah, the situations here are a bit cliché, but hey, they're really fun to imagine (well, for me they are). Hope you like it though.**

**Summary: It's the day before Spring Break and Annabeth Chase is having quite a**** bad day in school. With annoying girls, irritating teachers, and an egotistic playboy, would her day get any worse? Or, maybe something might just make it better.**

**Pairing: Annabeth Chase X Percy Jackson**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus**

* * *

><p>~Day Before Spring Break~<p>

Annabeth's fingers tightened around the mechanical pencil in her hand as her peaceful sanctuary became contaminated by the sound of unintelligent chattering from the dim-witted harpies situated on the table next to theirs. She was hoping to finish another design for a temple in Olympus when these annoyances decided to grace the library with their _very appreciated_ obtuseness. Please note the heavily applied sarcasm.

And she thought that the place of knowledge would keep away these girls who lacked the brain cells to even comprehend the large sign on each table that read 'Silence please'. Maybe the people in charge of the library should simplify it to 'Shut up' so that even their puny minds could understand it.

Annabeth let out a soft sigh while gently placing her writing material on the table. She combed through her curly hair and fixed her ponytail, trying to drive out these unpleasant thoughts.

She may've been exaggerating her opinion on them but one couldn't blame her. This group of girls made her and her friends' lives a living hell. Not that they didn't make others' lives miserable as well but it seems they were more intent on her group then anything. Annabeth had an idea as to why but it was a waste of time to dwell on it.

Another laugh resounded from the group.

"Yeah, I mean look at that hair. What's that supposed to be? Stringed cheese?" One of the girls, Carla Smith, said.

"Oh my gosh, that was so funny, Carla!" Another one of them, Karina Garner, commented.

"I know!" Carla replied, flipping her strawberry-blonde hair for added effect. Her almond eyes directed a smug look at Annabeth's direction.

The blonde rolled her eyes at their actions. What were they, elementary students? What kind of insult was that? She'd heard worse from some monsters she faced in battle. No wonder their words never bothered her. Their vexing presence however, well, that was a different matter.

Annabeth took a deep calming breath. It was best if she just thought about Spring Break, which officially started the next day. Rachel had invited her, Percy, Nico, and several other friends from camp to spend their Spring Break in one of her family's beach houses. It may be risky. With many demigods together, they were practically asking to be attacked by monsters. But hey, what's demigod fun without a bit of danger. Besides, all of them were capable of defending themselves.

A soft giggle drew the blonde's attention. She turned to her right to find one of her friends daintily covering her lips with the book she was reading. Annabeth raised her brow. "Is there something you'd like to say, Thanes?"

Eloise Thanes smiled at her; blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "I am simply entertained by their poorly constructed insults." She said while gesturing at the irritating group who were still trying to fruitlessly offend her. "Mortals: their slurs remain artless."

Annabeth smiled slightly. She was glad Eloise coincidentally came to the same school. It was much easier to speak to someone who was similar to her. Though Eloise was a year older, she was in the same grade due to circumstances she faced in the past. Demigods, after all, got into lots of trouble. '_Well_...' Annabeth mused. _'... not as much as Seaweed Brain. Troubles always seem to find him. ' _

Another giggle tore Annabeth from her thoughts and she found Eloise giving her a knowing look. "Gazing in the distance fondly; love paints her visage vibrantly; grey eyes shimmering vividly; pining for her hero, clearly."

Annabeth felt her face heat up. She immediately returned to the design she was working on, silently cursing the daughter of Apollo and her absurd poem. But then again, her words weren't exactly off the mark. Not that she'd admit that out loud, of course. She hadn't seen Percy since last summer and she found herself greatly missing him. Though they kept in contact through Iris-Messaging, it was different from meeting each other in person. Which was why she looked forward to the outing the next day.

She shook herself out of her thoughts to finish her work. It has been a year since the Second Titan War and Olympus was far from being restored to its godly glory. The design had to be completed as soon as possible.

However, before she could resume with her drawing, a hand slammed smack dab in the middle of her masterpiece. Seeing the beautifully manicured nails, Annabeth immediately knew who it was without even glancing up.

"Hey nerd." Carla sneered. "We were just wondering. Is this..." She started while twirling her finger around a strand of Annabeth's curly blonde hair. "... Supposed to be hair or a nest of stringed cheese?"

Annabeth took a deep, calming breath. It was unwise to lose her temper and draw attention to herself. Especially when it was the last thing she wanted to happen. Thus, she settled for an unnerving glance directed at this nuisance. She almost smirked when uncertainty made itself present in Carla's eyes.

"And what's with your skin. Ew! Did you sit inside the tanning bed for too long?" Karina said with disgust in her tone.

Another insult was delivered by another one of Carla's cronies when Annabeth cut in sharply. "If you have nothing relevant to say, please leave. I have much more significant things to do."

With that, Annabeth pushed the offending hand away from her sketch, ignoring the dumbfounded looks of everyone around her. Carla and her group were the most popular girls in school, since they weren't only beautiful but also rich. Going against such an influential crowd was practically committing social suicide. But Annabeth defied them every time they approached her. It made people impressed but also left them wondering if she was indeed smart for making enemies of the group.

Anger marred Carla's pretty face. "Why you little—"

Before she could continue, a mellow voice cut her short. "Oh, how amusing is mediocrity; hating brilliance ever deeply; greatly desiring eternal glory; breeding repulsive jealousy."

All turned to the girl whose book covered the bottom part of her face while her eyes observed the events from above the hardback.

"What do you mean 'jealousy'? You think I'm jealous of this loser?" Carla screeched while pointing her finger at Annabeth, who still carried on with her work like nothing was happening.

Eloise simply lowered her book and gave her a smile, as if to say 'exactly'.

Carla huffed and twisted around. "Come on, girls, we've wasted enough time with these geeks already." She said and strutted out of the library with her posse in her wake.

Once they were gone, Annabeth gave the older girl a glance before going back to her work. "I could've taken care of them by myself."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that." Eloise replied. "But the perfect poem for the situation came up. I can't just leave it unheard." She then looked down with a troubled expression on her face. She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she added. "Perhaps I should've delivered it with some dramatics."

Annabeth sighed at her friend's antics. "Your poems will get you in trouble sooner or later."

"Conceivably. But the truth always holds trouble. So, it's better to deliver it artfully to lessen the blow."Eloise reasoned. "Truthfully..." she mused "... I don't think she really sees you as some sort of geek. With your intelligence, looks, and talents, I think she perceives you more as a threat to her position at the top of the social chain."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. That was her hypothesis too. She was well aware that Carla perceived her as some sort of threat. But really, she wasn't. She had no intention of taking Carla's title as the 'Queen of Nonsense'.

"She seemed to be more vicious than usual though." Annabeth observed. Normally, Carla never dared to lay a hand on her. And, she noticed that even during the past few days, Carla had become bolder than before.

"Um..." One of the girls in Annabeth's group, Tamara Parker, started, catching the attention of both demigods. "... Well, it's about Alex Walters... I'm sure you know him." she didn't wait for the two to nod since it was impossible for anyone _not_ to know him. He was the school's 'marvellous quarterback' after all. "You guys know about the 'on-off' relationship thing he has with Carla, right? Well, during the 'off' times in their relationship, Alex always gets himself another girl then dumps them when he and Carla get back together."

Annabeth's stormy eyes narrowed. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

This time, Dan Johnson, one of the two guys in their group, spoke and unknowingly confirmed the blonde's thoughts. "We heard rumours that he plans to go after you, Annabeth. We think that it's probably to boost his popularity."

She groaned. "And how, pray tell, would this boost his popularity?" Oh, Annabeth knew how. She just wanted to see if it was the same guess her friends had.

The other male, Peter Adams, answered this with a blush staining his cheeks. "We-well, Annabeth, you've never said 'yes' to any guy who asked you out on a date."

"So they think I'm some sort of a game." She stated sharply.

Peter recoiled slightly under her gaze and stammered. "A-anyone who could get you, th-the unattainable girl in our grade, o-out on a date would be instantly popular. Th-that's why you're his next target."

"I heard he's pretty confident that he could convince you." The last member of their crowd, Mary Carson, added.

The blonde scoffed at this. "Right." Her tone implied how ridiculous she thought this was.

"Such an unattainable aim; luck won't be on his side for this... Well, I don't blame him for his choice." Eloise commented. "Truly captivating is a rose's beauty; ceaselessly desired by so many; but its thorns make them very wary..." A smirk made its way onto her lips as she recited. "... As only one is allowed to hold it ever so firmly."

Annabeth directed a glare at her, though Eloise remained unperturbed by it.

Ooo~oOo~ooO

Annabeth stifled a groan. Here she thought that the last day of school before Spring Break would be like any other day. But, it seemed that the teachers were bent on utilizing it to the fullest. Not that she had a problem with learning but it was sort of difficult to concentrate on the lesson when all she thought was the trip the next day.

Luckily, the current lecture was something she knew very well: Greek Mythology.

"So then, since our next lesson after Spring Break is Greek Mythology, why don't we start discussing a bit of it right now?" The teacher, Mr Slate, announced which earned a lot of grumbles from the students. He was someone Annabeth greatly disliked since he reminded her so much of Tantalus: unfair and delights in other people's misery.

The man started to call random people and asked them about Greek Mythology. When they couldn't answer, he'd wear a smug grin on that pudgy face of his and comment on how youngsters these days lacked intelligence or something along those lines. Annabeth's thoughts wandered off to her designs for Olympus, how the camp was going, and the upcoming trip. She didn't realize she had been staring outside the window for so long until she heard her name being called.

Her head snapped back to the irritating teacher, who was smirking widely. "Well, Ms Chase, you seem to find something else more interesting than this lecture. I assume you know this topic already so I'll be asking you to do something more difficult. Although, for a scholar of this topic, this would be the easiest question concerning Greek Mythology." Mr Slate said with that evil grin on his face. Annabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him when he obviously referred to himself as a scholar. She also heard a few snickers, mainly coming from two of Carla's friends. "Well then, Ms Chase, name the Twelve Olympians."

The blonde girl heard someone whisper that they could barely remember more than one god, how on earth could anyone remember twelve without having discussed the subject in class. Annabeth almost scoffed – this question was an insult to her intelligence. _Anyone_ could answer that... well, any demigod could answer it. Or anyone interested in Greek mythology. But then, Mr Slate always did underestimate the intellect of teenagers. Though it was annoying, it was also amusing when anyone proved his assumptions wrong.

Annabeth's stormy eyes met her teacher's in a challenging manner. "First is Zeus, god of the skies and lightning. He is also the king of the gods and the ruler of Mount Olympus. Next is Hera..." Annabeth kept herself from saying something unpleasant about the goddess as she continued. "... The goddess of marriage and family; Zeus' sister and wife which makes her the queen of the gods. Poseidon: Zeus' brother and lord of the seas, earthquakes, and horses. Dionysus: god of wine and celebration. Then Apollo: the god of light, music, poetry, prophecy, and archery. Artemis is Apollo's twin sister; the virgin goddess of the hunt, animals, and also archery. Hermes: the messenger of the gods and god of commerce and thieves." Annabeth paused for a few seconds, not paying any mind to the awed looks directed at her. Then, as she described the next goddess, Annabeth sat up straighter and delivered her mother's introduction with pride. "Athena, also referred to as Pallas Athena: the virgin goddess of wisdom, handicrafts, and strategic warfare. She is also considered the goddess of heroic endeavour since she is a companion of heroes. Athena is also the patron of Athens and, in her honour, the Athenians built the Parthenon." The child of wisdom almost let a smug look grace her features when she noticed the dumbstruck look on the teacher's and some of her classmates' faces. "Ares: god of war, violence, and bloodshed. Aphrodite: goddess of love, beauty, and desire. She is also known as Ares' lover. Hephaestus, Aphrodite's husband: blacksmith of the gods and god of fire and forge. And Demeter: the goddess of agriculture, nature, and the seasons."

There was silence for a few seconds until she broke it and asked. "Did I forget anyone, sir?"

The teacher wasn't able to answer as someone from the class voiced a question. "What about Hades? Isn't he an Olympian?"

Mr Slate smirked at Annabeth. "Well, Ms Chase, do you have an answer?"

Grey eyes narrowed while she replied. "Though Hades is considered a very powerful god as he rules the Underworld, he is not considered one of the Twelve Olympians for he lives in his domain rather than in Olympus."

That wiped off the smirk on the teacher's face. "Thank you for the informative answer, Ms Chase. You may take your seat."

Resisting the urge to grin complacently, Annabeth sat down, ignoring the whisper of "Nerd" coming from Carla's two morons.

Ooo~oOo~ooO

The blonde demigod sighed for the umpteenth time of the day. She slumped on the bench as she watched her classmates play around while waiting for their gym teacher to arrive. So far, the day has been quite exasperating. Minutes seemed like hours to her as she wished for the day to end soon; tomorrow just isn't coming as fast as she wanted. Her grey eyes stared into the distance while she went over her mental list of things to bring. Her bag was already set since the others planned to fetch her early the next day, but there was no harm in rechecking if she had already packed her necessities.

"Feel excited for tomorrow?"

Annabeth whipped her head to the source of the voice and found Eloise taking a seat beside her. Gym was one of the few classes Annabeth had with all five of her friends in the school.

"You could say that." The blonde replied.

A mischievous smile crept onto the older girl's lips as she said "Is it because a certain someone will be there?"

Annabeth shot her a glare before wearing a smirk of her own. "I could ask you the same thing, Eloise."

Eloise's face received a tinge of red at that, but she laughed nonetheless. "Touché."

The blow of a whistle grabbed their attention. The two stood up to join the remaining members of their group as everyone gathered in front of their gym instructor, Coach Grint.

"Since it's the last day before Spring Break, let's use this time to have fun. Who's up for a game of dodgeball?" The Coach grinned. All cheered at this, clearly agreeing to the arrangement. "That's the spirit. Split up into two teams. Three rounds!"

The class did as they were told and, minutes later, there were two groups facing each other. Annabeth observed both teams and rolled her eyes. Typically, most of the popular kids formed one group while those who were less popular formed the other. Carla and her friends were on the former. Annabeth glanced at her own team to find several athletic students, so they weren't at a disadvantage. After all, popularity didn't make skill.

With that in mind, she unnoticeably stepped to the back of her team. She wanted to see each and everyone's abilities before she could come up with a strategy. Thus, less than ten minutes after the coach blew the whistle, the game ended with the opposing team as the winner. Those who won goaded at the losing team, especially Carla who kept on talking about her great throwing skills. When the coach announced that they could have a five minute break before the next game, Annabeth immediately approached her team's leader, Jacob Crows, and explained her idea.

Jacob grinned at it and instantly called for a team meeting. He then proceeded to describe what the strategist had planned.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

Murmurs of excitement rippled through the group.

"It's different in a sense that it's really systematic. I think it's worth a shot." One of their classmates commented. "Good plan, Chase."

Annabeth grinned at him as 'thanks'. Then, the whistle was blown, signalling the start of the next game.

"Everyone knows what to do! Three groups, get into position." Jacob instructed.

With that, around six members went to the front of the team. This included Jacob, Peter, and Mary. Then, just a little bit behind them were the second group which included Eloise and Annabeth. Then, there was the last line. Tamara and Dan were among them.

From afar, their formation looked anything but a strategic placing of players. However, if observed carefully, the six in front were some of the fastest runners around while the second line was consisted of either athletes coming from different sports or those who were just good catchers. The last line was made up of those who weren't very sporty or those who throw well.

As soon as the whistle blew, the six in front dashed forward, which would have been a pretty stupid move if it wasn't part of some strategy. Predictably, the other team aimed for them because they were closer targets. However, since they were fast runners and only focused on dodging, balls flew right past them. That's when the second group got to work. They positioned themselves in a way that would prevent the balls from hitting the third group and started catching the incoming projectiles. Given that they predicted where the balls were aimed at, most of the second group were able to seize them. They then proceeded to toss what they caught to the players in the third group. As soon as they had their ammo, the third group started their attack.

This strategy caught the other team by surprise and the number of players in their squad gradually depleted in number. This scheme also made it difficult for them to decide who to target. When they aimed for the ones in front, they simply dodged. If they go for the second group, the balls would only get caught and the enemy would have more ammunition. And they hardly got to the last group since it was like the second group protected them by catching the ball before it hit any of the members.

Another factor that made it harder for the opponents was the presence of Annabeth and Eloise, especially the former. They seemed to be always there to catch anything. Their fast reflexes and agility enabled them to effectively protect the third squad while still being able to catch the projectiles.

Annabeth grinned as adrenaline pumped into her veins. It felt good to do something that was almost similar to some games they played at camp, though this wasn't as dangerous. Her battle reflexes kicked in as she sprinted to catch a ball, twisted to dodge another, and moved again to snatch one more while tossing the one she previously caught to somebody from the last line.

In the end, their team won two of the three rounds. The strategy was effective even though many of their players were hit as well. Members of their group patted Annabeth on the back, complimenting her for her plan, making her blush slightly.

The opposing side were mostly disappointed at the loss but did not react as much as Carla and her friends who fumed at the defeat. Perhaps they hoped that if they won they would prove their superiority. Or they might've been okay with the results, if they hadn't found out that the reason for their defeat was Annabeth Chase. Whatever the reason they had for glaring daggers at the blonde's back, one can only guess.

"I didn't know you had the moves, Chase!" One of the athletes in their group commented. "Why don't you join a sport? Like the track and field! I'd be happy to welcome you there!"

"Oh no." Mary spoke while grabbing Annabeth's arm. "If she decides to play a sport she'll be going to the softball team! As her friend, I get first dibs!"

"No fair, Carson!" He whined.

"Deal with it!" Mary said while sticking out her tongue. This elicited chuckles from everyone who was in the crowd. Even some of the members of the opposing team that didn't really mind the result joined in.

"What do you say, Chase? Want to join track?" Jacob asked, seeing as he was also part of the track and field team. Mary directed her glare at him.

Annabeth laughed. "No thanks. I think I'll stick to my blueprints."

Jacob sighed. "Shame."

"She'll just make you lose the games anyway." Carla remarked while inspecting her nails.

Jacob frowned. "You really shouldn't say that about other people, Smith."

"Just stating the truth, Sweetheart." She replied sweetly with a hint of seductiveness in her tone. Annabeth noticed the guy shudder with a grimace on his features. "Besides, she's a useless geek."

Annabeth was about to let out a witty and scathing remark when she was interrupted by Eloise. "I got it!" She said while snapping her fingers. She gave the impression that she had been thinking of something for a while now and only resolved it at the moment. Though the others stared at Eloise in question, Annabeth could guess what 'it' was.

Eloise cleared her throat then recited: "Oh, victory is so sweet; not at all bitter like defeat..." She then glanced pointedly at Carla. "... Why don't you just admit; you have been badly beat."

Annabeth raised a brow at her friend. That poem was just... terrible, to put it mildly. But the expression on Eloise's face showed that even if she was aware of how awful that was, she really didn't care. A stifled laugh broke the silence and everyone, except Carla and her friends, followed after. Laughter resonated throughout the gym, overlapping the sound of the infuriated girls' exit.

Ooo~oOo~ooO

The noise of chattering echoed throughout the cafeteria. However, even with this chaos, Annabeth felt good. Either because she was used to the noise or the dodgeball game made her feel a lot better. Doing something strenuous did improve her mood from time to time. There was also the fact that lunch meant there were only about three classes left until she could finally get home and focus on the upcoming outing.

However it seemed that the world was intent on making the day more difficult for the daughter of Athena when none other than Alex Walters blocked her way. From her peripheral vision, she could see her friends watching them with barely concealed interest.

"Hey, Annabeth Chase, right?" He asked with a charming smile. Annabeth had to admit, Alex was quite good-looking. His dirty blonde hair was tamed for someone who often participated in sports. He also had striking amber eyes that would turn a normal girl into a pile of goo. However, there were a lot of things about him that just weren't appealing to her. His hair wasn't dark and tousled, like it would be if one spent time somewhere windy, like the seashores for example. And his eyes were nothing compared to the entrancing sea-green orbs that she was so used to. Bottom line: he just wasn't Percy Jackson.

"Yes." She replied. Her stormy eyes observing him critically; this seemed to make him slightly uncomfortable. "Do you need something?"

"Are you doing anything tonight?" He asked. His intent was clear in his tone.

"As a matter of fact, yes I am." Annabeth answered in a curt tone. "Excuse me." She sidestepped him to proceed to her table but was blocked again.

Though Alex's smile remained intact, there was perplexity present in his eyes. "I don't think you understand what I'm trying to ask. I was-"

"—Asking me out on a date." Annabeth finished. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry but I'm not interested."

A frown marred his features. "What?"

The demigod resisted the urge to roll her eyes. These overconfident playboys were so full of themselves to think that they could get any girl. Ridiculous. "I said I'm not interested. Now excuse me." This time, she was successful in escaping Alex, for now. When she reached the table, Tamara immediately exclaimed.

"I told you so!"

Annabeth sighed. "So you did."

"What did he say?" Peter asked gloomily.

After she narrated what happened, Mary gaped at her. "You refused – _refused_ – to go out with _the_ Alex Walters, quarterback extraordinaire, hottest guy in school?"

"The last part of your sentence is argumentatively opinion-based, even though you made it sound like a fact." Dan commented. Annabeth chuckled at this. With the way Dan often spoke, she would've thought he was her half-brother if he was a demigod.

"Fine, but he _is_ good-looking. That you have to admit as a fact." Tamara said.

Dan snorted. "Guys do _not_ comment positively on fellow men's physical attributes. That's just... wrong."

The females present rolled their eyes at this.

"But, really Annabeth! Why?" Mary continued her earlier rant. "I mean, I could understand since you don't know each other that much but aren't you willing to give him a chance?"

"He's a playboy."

"But you never know! You might be the person who could change his ways!"

"Right." Annabeth said; sarcasm heavily coating her words.

"I think it's good that she rejected him." Peter remarked, his face alight with relief. Then he blushed when he realized what he just said. "I-I mean, they barely know each other."

Dan rolled his eyes and was about to say something when the presence of a certain person cut him off.

"Hey." Alex greeted while casually plopping down on the seat beside Annabeth. He brought his charming smile into play again (that made Mary sigh dreamily) as he spoke. "So, a while ago you just said 'no'. I'm guessing you were just shy so do you want to catch a movie later?"

The girl in question took a deep calming breath. "No. My answer is final."

"Oh come on, just give me a chance."

"Look, I already told you: I am not interested." She reiterated each word in case he still didn't get it.

Alex looked like he finally understood that Annabeth was genuinely indifferent to dating him. Not used to rejection, and thus being stunned, he could only mutter one word. "Why?"

"Because." Was Annabeth's single-worded reply.

Silence reigned the table for a few moments before Alex stood up. "I'm sure you'll change your mind." He said with a wink and a charismatic smile. "I'll see you later, Annabeth." He waved as he left.

"Well..." Eloise broke the silence. "... That was... interesting..."

Stormy eyes glared at the retreating back of the man. There went Annabeth's wonderful mood. And she thought she could finally enjoy the rest of the day. Unfortunately, Alex was in her last class and Annabeth found herself really looking forward to that. Again, note the sarcasm.

Ooo~oOo~ooO

Grey eyes glared at the board intensely, not once shifting anywhere but there. Annabeth focused her attention on the board, restraining the impulse to stab the young man beside her. His persistence was adding fuel to the fire that was her displeasure.

Annabeth swore that there was some sort of conspiracy against her. Her two previous classes may not have Alex in them, but the harpies made up for it.

Carla must've found out about Alex's attempt at wooing her because she was especially nasty with comments and the 'accidental' bump-ins had been more frequent. Oh, but her aggravation didn't end there. Alex Walters just had to be unrelenting in his pursuit.

"Come on, Annabeth, I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He whispered.

Annabeth replied through gritted teeth. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again: my answer is still no."

"You don't have to play hard-to-get. I know that, in the end, you'll still come to me." He said while trailing his finger on her upper arm.

She swore she heard a small '_crack'_ from the pen she was tightly grasping. Oh how she wanted to punch him right in the face. Could he be even more conceited? But Annabeth reminded herself that hitting him would just bring trouble for her. It would be very much unwise as not only would girls retaliate in his name, but the teachers would also not be pleased.

Thus, Annabeth stuck to simply slapping his hand away. "I don't care about your delusions. I will stick to my decision. So just leave me alone."

Alex seemed shock at this, nevertheless, a smile still made its way on his face. "Keep saying that, Annabeth, but I know what you want." He said while gesturing to himself.

The demigod rolled her eyes at this. _'Definitely not you.'_ She thought.

Ooo~oOo~ooO

The moment the bell rang, Annabeth jumped off her seat and rushed out. After a while she looked back to see if – _oh gods, curse him and his football quickness._ She hurried her pace towards the lockers to meet up with her friends, hoping that along the way something would get Alex's attention. The instant she caught sight of Tamara's red hair, she walked faster and promptly grabbed her by the arm.

"Let's go." Was what Annabeth said as she proceeded to drag the girl towards the school entrance. The rest of their group followed with curious looks on their faces.

"What's the hurry?" Eloise asked.

"Walters."

That explanation was enough for them to understand.

"Do you want me to do something about him?" Peter offered, though his tone was slightly unsure.

Annabeth gave him a smile while still keeping her pace. "You don't need to, Peter. Just ignore him."

Chancing a glance behind them, Annabeth noticed someone missing. "Where's Mary?"

Dan shrugged. "We don't know. Probably outside the school already... I hear that there's some kind of commotion happening there. Maybe she's there checking it out."

She was about to ask what the commotion was about when they exited the building. They only moved several steps more before they were stopped by the one missing from their company.

Mary was practically bouncing in excitement when she spoke. "Have you heard? Have you heard? Or better yet, have you seen?"

That caught their curiosity and Tamara asked the question in everyone's minds. "What are you talking about?"

This reply, if possible, seemed to make Mary even giddier. "So you haven't?"

"Oh please, do enlighten us with this _very_ interesting story of yours." Dan said in a sarcastic tone.

Either Mary didn't notice the sarcasm or she simply chose to ignore it. "Well, have you noticed that there are more people loitering around the building than usual?"

At that, Annabeth glanced around. Now that she mentioned it, there were a lot of groups scattered all over the front of the building. They were either seated by the steps, standing by the trees, or just in the middle of the walkway. Despite being distanced from each other, Annabeth noticed one thing: their attention seemed to be drawn to the general direction of the parking lot. "What's happening in the parking lot?" she probed.

Mary's grin widened. "You've noticed! Well, of course you did, you're Annabeth! Anyway, yeah, there's something in the parking lot. There's two vans parked. And, oh my gosh, they have good-looking guys!"

Annabeth arched a brow at this; slightly in disbelief. Mary, despite her fan-girl tendencies, had very high standards for men. The ones who reached her criteria were always very handsome, like Alex Walters. But for her to say that she found a _group_, well, it's enough to make someone intrigued and find out if she was correct.

It looked like the rest of their company was thinking along the same lines since their expressions – more or less – mirrored Annabeth's.

"Really?" Eloise uttered.

"Yeah, even more good-looking than Alex." Then, noticing the said quarterback who was actually behind them and listening to the conversation, she added. "No offense, Alex, but it's true."

Annabeth was so amused at her friend's bluntness and Alex's reaction to it that she partially forgot she was avoiding the guy. _Partially._ She was about to tell her friends that they had to leave fast before Alex snapped out of his ego-being-crushed-induced stupor when Dan spoke.

"And _we_ should be interested, why?" He asked, while pointing at himself and Peter.

"They have girls too." Was Mary's immediate reply. "Why do you think they're interested as well?" She added while gesturing at the group of football players not too far from them.

"Not just any girls." Jacob Crows stated as he approached their group. "_Hot_ girls."

"You've seen them?" Dan enquired – fascination finally present on his face and tone. Annabeth and Tamara rolled their eyes at this. Typical boys.

"Nah. But the others said they are. Jordan was able to talk to one of them; said they were picking some people up."

"Who?" Tamara asked.

Jacob shrugged. "Didn't say. I think Jordan said something about it being a surprise. I guess they didn't want the news to spread to the people they're here for." Then he grinned. "Want to check them out?"

The group turned to Annabeth. Tamara, Mary, and Dan gave her expectant looks. "Can we?"

The girl's eyebrows scrunched together in slight confusion. Why were they asking her permission? Oh, right, she was the one in a hurry to leave. She glanced at Alex, who was now being pulled by his football teammates to – what she presumed as – the location of the vans. Well, since he's occupied, it didn't look like he'll be bothering her in while. Thus, Annabeth nodded at her friend. "Why not."

The three most excited ones cheered; Mary being the loudest. She then proceeded to drag Annabeth and Eloise by the wrist while Tamara did the same with Peter (who was less subtle about his interest) and Dan (who really didn't need much prompting). Jacob followed not too far behind.

On their way to the parking lot, Mary described the people she saw. She spoke so rapidly and almost non-stop that it was a wonder how they were able to understand her. "So there're these two guys, I think they're brothers because they look alike, but they have this thing about them that makes them look like pranksters or something. And when they look at you, they look like they're trying to see if you have something valuable on you. They're weird but they're cute. I like one of them, I think he's older, but I think he's the boyfriend of one of the girls and I can't compete with her 'coz I think she's cute."

"How are you sure they're together?" Peter questioned. He then recoiled at the look his friend directed at him.

Mary replied in an irritated tone. "Because my gut instincts say so. Now let me continue." Her smile returned when she carried on. "So, there's this other guy who had the same aura as the two previous boys but it's less obvious. He's handsome too. But he's also clearly taken by this really tough-looking girl. She's really built for a female but I think she still has the looks. And, she has this aura like she'll fight anyone who crosses her. Anyway, there's also that guy who isn't as handsome as the others but still passes the mark and, oh gosh, he's muscles so make up for it."

"Woah, Mary, breathe." Dan interrupted, which also earned him a glare.

"Shush. Let me finish!" She snapped and then continued excitedly, as if there was no interruption at all. Dan turned to the others and drew circles with his finger by his ear, mouthing _'she's crazy'._ "And then there's another really cute guy who looks a lot like you, Eloise. Well, not exactly, sort of like the same hair colour and eyes. I'd totally go for him. Especially when he has such a hot singing voice, yeah, he was singing with a guitar. Maybe he was bored or something. Anyway! There're these two guys who look alike but different too. I mean, they have the same eye and hair colour but they look different. And, when they look at you, they look like they're sizing you up or something. Kinda like that intimidating stare that you do, Annabeth. Well, now that I mentioned that, they kinda look like you too. Strange, huh? But still, even though I feel intimidated by their stare, they're also really hot."

"You're one weird girl." Dan commented. He glanced at their other friends then mouthed _'and clearly mental'_. Annabeth, Tamara, Eloise, and Peter stifled a laugh at this.

"Shut up, Dan!" She barked. And then, like before, she carried on as if nothing happened. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, there's this cute Latino-looking dude who also has the air of someone who's game for practical jokes. But I think he has a crush on that punk-girl in their group 'coz he keeps looking at her. She looks daunting too but still really pretty. Well, back to the boys, there's that guy who's sleeping. I saw him wake up for a few seconds before he dozed off again and he's so good-looking. It looks like he doesn't get much sleep though. But still! I'd love to go with him but he looks younger than us, and I don't like going for younger guys. It makes me feel like a paedophile."

"Wow, that's a lot of them." Tamara commented. "I see why they needed two vans."

"Wait!" Mary exclaimed loudly in irritation, drawing some attention to her. Though, she didn't seem to notice. "I'm not yet finished!"

"You're not?" Peter asked in slight disbelief.

"There's... uh..." She then stopped in her tracks and then counted on her fingers – as if ticking off who she already described. "Right! Three more!"

Eloise stared at her in awe. "Your memory never ceases to amaze me."

Mary grinned at that comment. Annabeth gave her one of her calculating glances. "And, these three are?"

There was something about Mary's descriptions that irked her. She couldn't put her finger on it but there was definitely something nagging in the back of her mind.

Mary didn't notice the look on her friend's face as excitement overtook her again. "Oh my gosh, you _have_ to see the last two guys! I think they're the hottest of the group, well, if you add more years to the sleeping guy I'm sure he'll match up." She let out a squeal before continuing. "Anyway, one of them has beautiful blue eyes. Like electricity! And matched with his blonde hair..." she sighed dreamily and then sighed again, but one of despair. "... But he was holding hands with that girl beside him. She looked like a tomboy but she's really pretty."

"I think you just broke your personal record of saying 'oh my gosh' and 'pretty' in one seating." Tamara commented. "So, the last guy?"

Mary let out a really fan-girl-like squeal. "I have a major crush!" she reiterated each syllable then ranted off. "He has dark messy hair, which I think makes him look hotter. And his eyes were so..." she trailed off for a moment before continuing in a slightly dazed tone. "... They're bluish-green, or greenish blue. Whatever... they're just beautiful. Like the colour of the sea." Then she jumped a bit. "And, best of all, I don't think he has a girlfriend! I mean, all the girls with them are already taken! But he's just there, with no one!"

"I thought you'd go for the other guys you were talking about a while ago." Tamara spoke.

"Well, yeah, but the last guy is definitely my first choice." And then she sighed in disappointment. "But he went back inside the van. I really wanted to see his face more."

"You mean ogle him." Dan corrected.

Mary waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever... there!" She pointed excitedly. They stopped far enough to make their intentions unnoticed but close enough to clearly see the people their friend described.

"Woah... woman, you did not do the girls any justice." Dan commented. Peter and Jacob gaped while Tamara blushed when she caught sight of the group. Eloise, to Annabeth's curiosity, let out a gasp of shock.

Annabeth was just about to look at the direction of the vans when someone blocked her view. A _very_ irritating someone.

"Look who's come to see what she obviously couldn't have. Thought you'd attract them or something?" Carla sneered.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at this girl's poor attempt at aggravating her.

"Oh please, Carla, you should really stop taking out your anger at others for being turned down by them." Mary laughed, earning her a sharp look from the said girl.

"You think you could do better?" She snapped.

"We said nothing of the sort. We simply know when a line is drawn." Annabeth stepped up, defending her friend from the girl's wrath.

Carla's eyes narrowed even more. "Geek. I don't care about them." Annabeth almost snorted at this because it was obviously a lie. "I have Alex. Just because he approached you didn't mean you fit his standards. He was just bored. Besides, he's way over your league."

"Well, it looks like he's currently bored again." Tamara pointed at Alex, who apparently approached one of the girls. Carla squeaked indignantly before rushing over to the group to get Alex to notice her again. Once the girl left, Annabeth finally caught a glimpse of the people her schoolmates were talking about. She let out a gasp. _No way._

There, by the vans, was none other than her demigod friends. Connor and Travis Stoll were just laughing on the side; the latter had his arm around his girlfriend, Katie Gardner. Chris Rodriguez sat on the nearby bench with his girlfriend, Clarisse La Rue. Not too far from the couple, was Jake Mason who was tinkering with some kind of small contraption.

On another bench not too far from the vans was Will Solace with a guitar in hand. That explained why he looked like Eloise, seeing as they were both children of Apollo. Seated beside Will were two of her half-siblings, Cene Ranford and Malcolm, in deep conversation. That also explained Mary's description of them sharing similar features with her.

Then, leaning on the van itself was Leo Valdez, one of the three new demigods found at the start of the summer before. He was trying but failing to engage the girl beside him, Thalia Grace, in a conversation. Since the door beside Thalia was open, Annabeth could see a glimpse of an aviator jacket. She assumed that the 'guy who seemed to lack sleep' was one Nico di Angelo, who owned said jacket.

Leaning on the other van were the other two that came to Camp Half-Blood with Leo. Jason Grace, Thalia's brother, was speaking to a chuckling Piper McLean, as he entwined his fingers with hers.

The last one Mary was talking about seemed to be nowhere in sight.

Annabeth froze in place, still a bit shocked at the turn of events. Questions raced through her mind but one stood out the most: _What in Hades are they doing here?_

Before she could even come up with answers of her own, Thalia caught sight of her. A grin graced the hunter's features as she dashed towards the stunned blonde.

"Annabeth!" She exclaimed while enveloping her friend in a hug. The fact that this was the first time any of the strangers acknowledged anyone from the school immediately drew attention. Everyone, especially Annabeth's mortal friends, stared at her in confusion.

She regained her composure and asked. "Thalia? What are you doing here?"

"Lady Artemis had to do something personal so she told us to stay at the camp for now. I asked permission if I could come on this trip and she said it was fine so I left the Hunters in Phoebe's care while I'm away." Thalia replied in a hushed tone.

"No, I mean, what are _you_ _guys_ doing here?" Annabeth asked again.

"Here to pick you up, of course." Malcolm answered before Thalia could say anything. Apparently, when the daughter of Zeus ran to her, the rest decided to approach as well.

Annabeth eyed him sternly "Shouldn't you be looking after the cabin?"

"Chiron said not to worry about it." He shrugged. That did not lessen Annabeth's stern glance though.

So, Cene added to assure her. "Besides, we let someone responsible handle the duties."

After a few moments, she finally nodded, trusting the decision of her half-brothers. "But, isn't the trip still tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's the original plan. But..." Will trailed off as a grin made its way on his face. His expression gave Annabeth the impression that he was about to burst into song. Not so subtly readying his guitar did nothing to refute her assumption.

"But..." Jake continued making Will pout at the interruption. "... Since most are all-around campers and the ones who went to school had their Spring Break early, we thought we could begin our trip this afternoon." To Annabeth's curiosity, the people in the group snickered or giggled at this.

Thalia answered the blonde's silent question when she added with a smirk and a dry tone. "It was Kelp Head's idea. Isn't it cute?"

"Yeah, you should've seen him red in the face when he suggested starting the trip today, giving excuses when everyone knew he was just excited to see you." Connor snickered.

"Really, Connor, shut up. I think it was sweet of Percy to do this." Katie admonished, to which the younger Stoll brother rolled his eyes.

"But you've got to admit, seeing him look like one of the pink curtains in the Aphrodite cabin was really funny!" Leo commented, making several of them chuckle in agreement. "No offense to your pink curtains, Beauty Queen."

Piper rolled her eyes at him. "As if that could offend me."

"Did someone get Prissy already? He's been _dying_ to see his precious Brainiac." Clarisse asked impatiently, though there was still a smirk on her face.

This made Annabeth blush slightly.

As if on cue with Clarisse's statement, a shout from the van was heard. "Nico! Just wait till I get my hands on you! You'll be crossing the river Styx in a way you really don't expect!"

After that yell, Nico di Angelo stepped out of the van and approached them with a large grin on his face; as if he wasn't asleep just minutes earlier.

Jason raised a brow at his younger cousin, though a small smile was playing on his lips. "What did you do this time?"

"He didn't want to wake up, so I pushed him off the seat." Nico replied (making his friends laugh again) before turning to Annabeth. "I can see why he's always in a bad mood in the morning after you wake him up. His wake-up call needs to be painful."

"Whoa, wait!" Mary loudly interrupted the conversation, drawing attention to her again. "You know each other?" Mary asked in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Annabeth was about to answer her question when she was cut off by a familiar voice. "Well, Wise Girl, took you long enough."

She instantly directed her glance at the source and found Percy Jackson in his demigod glory. He was running his hand through his hair as he walked towards them. She could hear Mary hold back a squeal while Tamara asked her if this was the last guy she talked about. She also didn't miss the soft sniggering of her friends, specifically – Thalia, Piper, Clarisse, and Eloise.

As Percy neared them, he cast a glare at Nico's direction, as if telling him that he wasn't finished with him yet, before turning his attention back to Annabeth. However, before he could even get near her, a girl with long strawberry-blonde hair and sparkling almond eyes blocked his path. Carla batted her lashes at him and trailed her fingers down his arm. "Hey there."

Annabeth's stormy eyes narrowed dangerously.

Percy gave the girl a look which basically said 'get away from me, stranger'. "Uh, yeah, hi. Excu-"

"Hot day isn't it." Carla said huskily while pulling on the collar of her shirt, as if to invite the guy to take a glimpse.

But Percy seemed to be oblivious to her intentions as he gave her a strange look. "Yeah, it is. Maybe a dip in the pool could help you with that. Excuse me." He said while gently pushing her aside so he could get to the others. Carla gaped at him in shock, not used to rejection. When she caught Annabeth's sharp gaze, she smirked coolly. As if challenging her in a competition that Annabeth had no wish to participate in. Obviously, the competition being to get Percy's attention.

Annabeth broke their staring contest to look directly at Percy. But, she still watched Carla's reaction from the corner of her eyes. The moment Percy stopped in front of her; she noticed the frown that replaced the beam on Carla's face. Satisfied at the response, Annabeth gave her complete attention to the young man in front of her, waiting for him to speak.

Percy smiled and said "What? Don't I get a hello kiss? Isn't that kind of tradition?"

Annabeth raised a brow at his line that was reminiscent of that time he asked her for a good luck kiss during the Titan War. So, remembering what she had said, she replied with a smirk. "Explain this to me and then we'll see."

Percy simply laughed and proceeded to drop a light kiss on her lips. There were several cooing, and Annabeth was sure that the loudest ones were her demigod friends, doing it for the sake of teasing her. But, along with the cooing were some shocked gasps; probably from her mortal friends and Carla.

"You know I'm not too fond of surprises." Annabeth sighed, yet the smile on her lips didn't waver one bit.

"I know. But I think I'd be forgiven this time since I did it to see my girlfriend sooner." He responded. "Does she find that reason good enough?"

"Maybe."

"Hey lovebirds! Are we leaving or should you guys make-out first?" Travis called out with a mischievous grin and waggled his eyebrows. Katie slapped his arm at that.

However, his interruption seemed to be effective as the two mentioned blushed and directed glares at him.

"Hold up!" Mary yelled. "You know them! They know you! And Eloise looks like she knows them too." She said while pointing at the said girl who had her arms around Cene's waist. "So who are they?" Behind her, Tamara, Dan, and Peter looked at Annabeth expectantly.

"Alright, let me introduce you." And thus, Annabeth introduced both groups. She noticed that Dan and Peter looked disappointed to find out that all the girls in the group were taken (except for Thalia, but she made it clear that she wasn't interested). Unlike them, Tamara and Mary (and some other girls who heard their conversation) looked pleased to find out that Will, Jake, Connor, and Leo weren't taken yet. However, the most shocking news they received was the fact that Percy was Annabeth's boyfriend.

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Her sharp glance became more intimidating than usual as she asked this.

Dan raised his hand in a placating gesture. "We didn't mean it like that! We meant that you were always so focused on your studies that we never really thought of you having a boyfriend. We got this impression that it was the last thing on her list."

"Besides, she isn't the type to snag herself a boyfriend like that." A snooty voice only belonging to one Carla Smith entered the conversation. Said girl and her friends, plus Alex, moved towards them. "I mean, how could someone like her be with someone like him?" She stated, making most of the group frown at her. "So, Chase, how much do you pay him to act as your boyfriend?"

Appalled at her statement, both demigods and mortals motioned to defend their friend, but they were immediately silenced by a gesture from Annabeth.

"Seriously, Carla, grow up. Start understanding that the world does not revolve around you. Stop trying to make up excuses that make others feel inferior while making you feel superior. It's very immature of you to use others as scapegoats just to retain the enormity of your ego because, in the end, your ego would be your downfall. The same goes for you, Alex!" She let out, not being able to hold in her frustration for them any longer.

Both stood there, stunned. Even their audience didn't know how to react. The silence was broken, however, by Percy. He grinned proudly at Annabeth, immediately wiping away her negative emotion.

"I believe this is our cue to make an exit." He commented while wrapping his arm around her waist. "Ready to go?"

Annabeth was about to nod when she remembered something. "What about my things for the trip?"

"We picked it up before we came here." Thalia answered. And then Piper added. "Eloise's too."

Eloise sighed in relief. Then, her face suddenly lit up as if she thought of something. "Oh, I have a poem!"

Will, being her half-brother, therefore being interested in poems as well, instantly prompted her to say it. She was just about to recite when Cene smoothly intervened. "Perhaps we should save it for the trip so we could leave immediately."

Eloise grinned. "Great idea!" Thus, she grabbed Cene by the arm and dragged him to one of the vans, with Will following not too far behind.

Jake and Malcolm gave Annabeth's mortal friends a nod before going to their vans. As Clarisse and Chris walked back to the vehicles, the former cast a terrifying glare at Carla, which made said girl recoil. Leo, Thalia, Piper, Jason, and Nico were in some kind of argument as they went to the vans. Mostly, it was Thalia and Nico arguing (something that involved their god parents, their powers and, such) as the other three made inputs here and there (normally, Percy would've been involved as well but he was rather preoccupied at the moment). Katie was staring intently at the Stoll brothers, as if daring them to steal anything from the mortals while under her watch. The sons of Hermes simply grinned innocently.

Annabeth and Percy were following the group in a leisurely pace, simply enjoying each other's company. They spoke about what they have been up to in the past couple of months, both engrossed in their conversation. Although, Annabeth could've sworn that she saw Percy sending Alex a warning glare as they passed by him. She would've believed it was her imagination if not for the fact that she noticed Alex taking a wary step back despite the glare he was returning.

After bidding her friends farewell, the two vans drove off, leaving several gaping students behind.

Ooo~oOo~ooO

Mary watched the van drive off in awe. It seemed that she wasn't the only one awestruck at what just happened as murmurs started to go around the crowded people.

"That was just – whoa... that... huh... they're..." Tamara managed in her stupor. "... They're like celebrities or something..."

"Yeah..." Mary said, still a bit astonished. "... Or something..." she trailed off.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There it is. I'd want to explain the demigods' descriptions. I know some of them have been described as ugly or something but, well, I just can't make myself imagine **_**any**_** of them ugly. I mean, I have this perception of the gods as being godly and it blocks out any images of them being anything but (even Hephaestus, I have a hard time imagining him **_**very**_** misshapen... less good-looking yes, but not completely hideous). So, it makes me have an image of the demigods as being like that in a way, like, better looking than a mortal or something (yes, despite her description, I also imagine Clarisse being on the buff side but still having the looks... it's hard to explain the image). And, I also imagine the gods having some kind of aura about them and I thought to myself, why not their kids? I just imagine the demigods also having the aura but a lot less subtle. And I imagine that the aura just becomes more obvious if they're in a group. Err... yeah... I'll stop ranting now. I just really put the demigods on some kind of pedestal (especially when it comes to the Big Three children and the ones some of them are paired up with).**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it. **


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